•Few studies have explored the phenolic variability in a high number of monovarietal olive oils.•Phenolic compounds were analyzed in 80 monovarietal oil samples by LC–MS/MS.•Secoiridoids were the ...most concentrated phenols in olive oil.•A high influence of the cultivar on the phenolic levels was detected.•Four groups of cultivars were found through their phenolic profiles by multivariate analysis.
Despite the evident influence of the cultivar on olive oil composition, few studies have been devoted to exploring the variability of phenols in a representative number of monovarietal olive oils. In this study, oil samples from 80 cultivars selected for their impact on worldwide oil production were analyzed to compare their phenolic composition by using a method based on LC–MS/MS. Secoiridoid derivatives were the most concentrated phenols in virgin olive oil, showing high variability that was significantly due to the cultivar. Multivariate analysis allowed discrimination between four groups of cultivars through their phenolic profiles: (i) richer in aglycon isomers of oleuropein and ligstroside; (ii) richer in oleocanthal and oleacein; (iii) richer in flavonoids; and (iv) oils with balanced but reduced phenolic concentrations. Additionally, correlation analysis showed no linkage among aglycon isomers and oleocanthal/oleacein, which can be explained by the enzymatic pathways involved in the metabolism of both oleuropein and ligstroside.
Refined edible oils (viz., oils from maize, soya, high-oleic sunflower, sunflower, olive, and rapeseed) enriched at two concentration levels (200 and 400 μg/mL total phenolic content) with phenolic ...extracts isolated from olive pomace and leaves have been characterized and compared with nonenriched oils and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Enriched oils were analyzed by LC–TOF/MS to generate representative fingerprints and compared with nonenriched oils and EVOO by unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA). The two raw materials reported enriched oils with profiles which were compared with those provided by EVOOs. Correlation analysis enabled us to establish the enriched oils with a composition more similar to EVOO. Discrimination according to the enrichment level depended on the raw material for extracts, and a global discussion about the enrichment on relevant phenolic compounds present in EVOO has reported quantitative results concerning the enrichment level for those significant compounds with known nutraceutical properties.
Stevia is a currently well-known plant thanks to the presence of steviol glycosides, which are considered as sweeteners obtained from a natural source. In this research, a method based on LC–MS/MS by ...using a triple quadrupole detector was developed for quantitation of 8 steviol glycosides in extracts from Stevia leaves. The ionization and fragmentation parameters for selected reaction monitoring were optimized. Detection and quantitation limits ranging from 0.1 to 0.5ng/mL and from 0.5 to 1ng/mL, respectively, were achieved: the lowest attained so far. The steviol glycosides were quantified in extracts from leaves of seven varieties of Stevia cultivated in laboratory, greenhouse and field. Plants cultivated in field presented higher concentration of steviol glycosides than those cultivated in greenhouse. Thus, the way of cultivation clearly influences the concentration of these compounds. The inclusion of branches together with leaves as raw material was also evaluated, showing that this inclusion modifies, either positively or negatively, the concentration of steviol glycosides.
Display omitted
•A method for absolute quantitation of steviol glycosides is proposed.•The compounds are quantified in extracts from Stevia leaves.•The influence of cultivation conditions on Stevia is evaluated.•The use of branches+leaves as raw material is also evaluated.
Introduction
The COVID‐19 pandemic dramatically disrupts health care around the globe. The impact of the pandemic on chronic urticaria (CU) and its management are largely unknown.
Aim
To understand ...how CU patients are affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic; how specialists alter CU patient management; and the course of CU in patients with COVID‐19.
Materials and Methods
Our cross‐sectional, international, questionnaire‐based, multicenter UCARE COVID‐CU study assessed the impact of the pandemic on patient consultations, remote treatment, changes in medications, and clinical consequences.
Results
The COVID‐19 pandemic severely impairs CU patient care, with less than 50% of the weekly numbers of patients treated as compared to before the pandemic. Reduced patient referrals and clinic hours were the major reasons. Almost half of responding UCARE physicians were involved in COVID‐19 patient care, which negatively impacted on the care of urticaria patients. The rate of face‐to‐face consultations decreased by 62%, from 90% to less than half, whereas the rate of remote consultations increased by more than 600%, from one in 10 to more than two thirds. Cyclosporine and systemic corticosteroids, but not antihistamines or omalizumab, are used less during the pandemic. CU does not affect the course of COVID‐19, but COVID‐19 results in CU exacerbation in one of three patients, with higher rates in patients with severe COVID‐19.
Conclusions
The COVID‐19 pandemic brings major changes and challenges for CU patients and their physicians. The long‐term consequences of these changes, especially the increased use of remote consultations, require careful evaluation.
The COVID‐19 pandemic severely impairs CU patient care, weekly number of patients decreased by more than 50%, and the rate of face‐to‐face consultations decreased by 62%. CU does not affect the course of COVID‐19 with only 4% of CU patients having a severe course of COVID‐19, but COVID‐19 results in CU exacerbation in one of three patients, with higher rates in patients with severe COVID‐19. Cyclosporine and systemic corticosteroids, but not antihistamines or omalizumab, are used less during the pandemic.
Abbreviations: CU, chronic urticarial; COVID‐19, coronavirus disease 2019; UCARE: urticaria centers of reference and excellence.
Liposuction remains one of the most frequently performed cosmetic surgical procedures and its popularity is increasing every year. However, since its inception, justified concerns regarding patient ...safety have placed limits on the volume of fat that can be aspirated, influenced by hemodynamic fluctuations and blood loss during liposuction. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an antifibrinolytic agent that competitively inhibits the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, thus preventing the binding and degradation of fibrin. Despite the existence of evidence of the effectiveness of TXA in orthopedic and cardiac surgeries, there is little evidence of its use in liposuction. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid in the control of surgical bleeding in patients undergoing liposuction, through a prospective, open, randomized and controlled clinical trial. Two groups of 25 participants each were formed to whom the application of TXA in a tumescent solution prior to liposuction or liposuction with the traditional technique was randomly assigned. The results showed a decrease in blood loss reflected by the differences in the final hematocrit values, as well as decrease in the same per aspirated volume (
p
= 0.003). No adverse events were found related with the TXA application and no blood transfusions were required in this group, in contrast to the control group where the need for blood transfusion was present in 20% of the intervened participants.
Level of Evidence II
This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.
Neuroprotective M2‐skewed microglia appear as promising to alter the course of neurodegenerative diseases and G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) are potential targets to achieve such microglial ...polarization. A common feature of adenosine A2A (A2AR) and cannabinoid CB2 (CB2R) GPCRs in microglia is that their expression is upregulated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). On the one hand, CB2R seems a target for neuroprotection, delaying neurodegenerative processes like those associated to AD or Parkinson's diseases. A2AR antagonists reduce amyloid burden and improve cognitive performance and memory in AD animal models. We here show a close interrelationship between these two receptors in microglia; they are able to physically interact and affect the signaling of each other, likely due to conformational changes within the A2A‐CB2 receptor heteromer (A2A‐CB2Het). Particularly relevant is the upregulation of A2A‐CB2Het expression in samples from the APPSw,Ind AD transgenic mice model. The most relevant finding, confirmed in both heterologous cells and in primary cultures of microglia, was that blockade of A2A receptors results in increased CB2R‐mediated signaling. This heteromer‐specific feature suggests that A2AR antagonists would potentiate, via microglia, the neuroprotective action of endocannabinoids with implications for AD therapy.
Main Points
Adenosine A2A/cannabinoid CB2 receptor heteromers, expressed in microglia from Alzheimer's disease (AD) models, allow enhanced cannabinoid signaling upon A2A blockade.
A2AR antagonists are promising to combat AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings suggestive of neurocutaneous melanosis (NCM) have been reported in asymptomatic patients with giant congenital melanocytic nevi (GCMN).
To investigate the ...presence of NCM and the clinical neurologic status of patients with GCMN involving the head an neck.
Thirteen patients with GCMN involving the head and neck were clinically examined by pediatric specialists in dermatology, ophthalmology and neurology. Electroencephalograms, noncontrasted and contrasted computerized tomography (CT) scans and MRI were performed.
Eleven of 13 patients with GCMN of the head and neck previously considered asymptomatic were found to present mild but evident neurologic alterations. No signs of NCM were found in the CT scans or in the MRI.
Patients with GCMN of the head and neck may have associated neurologic alterations not related to the presence of neurocutaneous melanosis.
The coexistence of shortening and extensional tectonic regimes is a common feature in orogenic belts. The westernmost end of the Western Mediterranean is an area undergoing shortening related to the ...5 mm/yr NNW‒SSE convergence of the Nubia and Eurasia Plates. In this region, the Central Betic Cordillera shows a regional ENE‒WSW extension. Here, we present GNSS‐derived geodetic data along a 170 km‐long transect orthogonal to the main active normal faults of the Central Betic Cordillera. Our data indicate that the total extension rate along the Central Betic Cordillera is 2.0 ± 0.3 mm/yr. Extension is accommodated in the eastern (0.8 ± 0.3 mm/yr in the Guadix‐Baza Basin) and western (1.3 ± 0.3 mm/yr in the Granada Basin) parts of the Central Betic Cordillera, while no extension is recorded in the central part of the study area. Moreover, our data permit us to quantify, for the first time, short‐term fault slip rates of the Granada Fault System, which is one of the main seismogenic sources of the Iberian Peninsula. We deduce a fault slip rate of ∼1.3 ± 0.3 mm/yr for the whole Granada Basin, with 0.9 ± 0.3 mm/yr being accommodated in the Granada Fault System and 0.4 ± 0.3 mm/yr being accommodated in the southwestern sector of the Granada Basin, where no active faults have been previously described at the surface. The heterogeneous extension in the Central Betic Cordillera could be accommodated by shallow high‐angle normal faults that merge with a detachment at depth. Part of the active extension could be derived from gravitational instability because of underlying over‐thickened crust.
Plain Language Summary
We present here high‐precision GPS data obtained in S Spain. In this area tectonic deformation of the Earth crust is related to the convergence between Nubia (Africa) and Eurasia Plates. Under this general convergence setting, our study area is undergoing extensional deformation. GPS data permit us to quantify and characterize this extension. The total extension in our study area is 2.0 ± 0.3 mm/yr. But this extension is heterogeneous, as it concentrates in two areas to the east and to the west, separated by a zone with no extension. Moreover, our data permit to quantify, for the first time, short‐term fault slip rates of the Granada Fault System (0.9 ± 0.3 mm/yr). This parameter is essential to characterize the seismic hazard of this structure, which is one of the main seismogenic sources of the Iberian Peninsula. We also discuss the subsurface geometry of the faults accommodating this heterogeneous extension and the crustal mechanism responsible for that.
Key Points
We quantify active extension within a collisional orogen (Betic Cordillera, SE Spain)
Extension in the Central Betic Cordillera is heterogeneous
We quantify, for the first time, short‐term slip rate of the Granada Fault System, one of the main seismogenic sources of Spain
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common malignant tumor in patients with advanced cirrhosis, posing a significant challenge to the healthcare system. Treatment involves a multidisciplinary ...approach; however, advanced disease limits the available options. Effectiveness and outcomes can differ depending on the stage of the disease, the patient's functional reserve, and other factors. This study aims to describe the clinical characteristics, staging, treatment, and outcomes of patients with HCC at a third-level hospital
A retrospective, descriptive study of HCC patients. Demographic variables, treatment received according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system, and treatment response according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) were evaluated. Descriptive statistics with measures of central tendency and dispersion were performed.
The study included 50 patients (20 females, 30 males; mean age 62 ±8). Etiology of cirrhosis: MAFLD (19), alcohol-related (14), Hepatitis C (11), and other causes (6). The average MELD score was 12.5 ±6.22, and the MELD-Na score was 14.7 ±5.44. BCLC staging: A (9), B (28), C (4), D (9). Eligible for treatment (30), categorized as Child-Pugh A(2), B(22), C(6). Radiological treatment (21) included Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) in 13 cases, ablation (4), and a combination TACE/Ablation (4). Medical treatment with Lenvatinib (1). Combination of medical and radiological treatments (3). TACE followed by transplantation (4), and transplantation alone (1). Treatment response evaluation: Complete response (4), partial response (9), stable disease (7), and progression (8). The 3-month mortality rate was 8.3%.
In our group, most of the patients were males, with a relatively equal distribution between compensated and decompensated cirrhosis. MAFLD was the most prevalent etiology, and a significant portion of cases presented at an intermediate stage (BCLC B), qualifying them as candidates for treatment. The response rates to treatment were 13% for complete response and 30% for partial response. Furthermore, the calculated mortality rate at 3 months was relatively low.
PDF
